


Love Language

by Imaantivist



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Background Rosegarden, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Love Confessions, Mild Smut, Miscommunication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:27:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25861312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imaantivist/pseuds/Imaantivist
Summary: Our codependent straight couple discovers what communication is through the help of a BuzzFeed quiz.
Relationships: Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie
Comments: 17
Kudos: 25





	Love Language

Quality Time, Acts of Service, Giving Gifts, Physical Touch, Words of Affirmation

Words of Affirmation:

It started with innocent comments from their friends, 

"Ren and Nora are soooo couple goals I mean they're perfect together."

"I don't think anyone belongs together as much as Ren and Nora do." 

“If only I had the type of relationship Ren and Nora have.”

The thing is, when you're so stable in a relationship for going on eleven years, not much is addressed of said relationship after it's initially engaged. To put it simply, Ren and Nora didn't talk about the details of their relationship because they didn't need to. It was a "go with the flow," and "take things as they are," and "if it's not broken, don't fix it," type of methodology. 

You assume that everything is as it should be because what else would it even be? They were both independent individuals yet still strong as a unit. The domesticity was at it's peak, their life plan was set, the sex was great, yada yada yada, but it wasn't that simple. 

It wasn't until they were so far down the line in their relationship that Nora realized how much the comments from their friends about their relationship bothered her. It made her realize a few things she always knew but never really paid attention to until now:

Ren and Nora rarely said "I love you." It was just one of those things that always went without saying. The thing about those kinds of thoughts is that once they come to the forefront of your mind, it's hard to shake them. The thoughts begin. Does Ren love me? Or are we only together because it's expected of us, because we've always been around each other? Am I even his girlfriend? What is it about us that comes off as so perfect to outsiders?

Quality Time

Ren had come home later than usual. Nora was on the couch dozing off with the TV playing in the background. She woke up when she heard the front door slam. It was wearing on the hinges and starting to droop in a way that made it finicky to close. They kept meaning to get it fixed but it also kept escaping their minds. It only caused a little frustration when in a hurry but the slam sounded a bit louder than normal this time. It shook the sleep from her mind. 

“Mmm, Welcome home, Ren.” 

“Did you do the grocery shopping like you were supposed to?” She was taken aback by his greeting that wasn’t a greeting at all. His dismissal of her did not put her in a good mindset. 

“Um, no. I wasn’t able to, I had to come right home after work. I’m exhausted, and you should have seen the client I had-”

“Nora, do you not fulfil any of your responsibilities at all?” Now she was really confused.  
“What? I figured we’d just order a pizza or something.” 

“We can’t just throw money around like that. I’ll just go see what we have left in the kitchen. Just hope it’s enough for something simple since you very obviously can’t handle simple tasks like you were supposed to.”

He disappeared into the bedroom, and when he was finally gone, Nora sat in both silence and utter shock while trying to figure out what it was that called for his sporadic outburst. 

Dinner was a silent affair. Nora pushed around the rice on her plate and mouthed a single piece of lettuce from her salad. Ren had zero problem with the silence which only made Nora more indignant. 

Physical Touch 

When it finally came time for bed, they laid side by side still in the same silence. Nora didn’t like the silence. It felt like the room was just stuffy with it. She wasn’t even tired anymore since her mind was running with thoughts on how she was oh so, “irresponsible”. Irresponsible, her ass. She’d show him irresponsible. 

She sat up from bed and swung a leg over Ren. He looked up at her confused but it washed away when Nora started to kiss him. It wasn’t forgiveness, and it wasn’t reconciliation but no words were necessary and that’s exactly what they needed. 

She grinded rhymically on his lap until she felt a telltale hardness beneath her. Their lips melded together and Nora felt the tips of her fingertips ignite like fire as her senses went haywire. 

...

Rolling over out of Ren's hold onto her. She didn't feel any better. God that was a mistake. This wasn't make-up sex, it wasn't an apology, and it wasn't the confirmation she wanted and needed in herself as a girlfriend and woman. 

"So are you going to say sorry for being a jerk earlier?" He doesn't reply, and it's obvious he doesn't mean to. 

"Are you serious? You're gonna treat me like that, use me as your sex toy and then ignore me??" She was frustrated, and when she was frustrated she always cried. It wasn't about earlier, it wasn't about the sex but an accumulation of all the frustration that's been festering inside her this whole time. 

He stared at her incredulously. Maybe it was the harsh tone of her voice or the budding tears in her eyes that got his attention but she leapt out of bed and threw sweat pants on not even bothering to look for her panties. Her t-shirt was thrown on haphazardly while she was grabbing a backpack. She held back her frustration as she threw in a few pairs of clothes not even sure if she had everything she needed. 

"I'm staying with Ruby tonight." She had never done something like this but she felt nothing but anger and adrenaline. 

The next thing she knew, the keys were in the car ignition and she was speeding down the street. Fuck him, she did not care that she took their only car either or that he’d need it for work tomorrow. She just needed a step back. 

When she knocked on Ruby's door at 12:25am, the tears were finally falling freely and she couldn't hide it even if she wanted to. 

"Nora? What's-" she jumped into Ruby's arms and sobbed. Her mind was so clouded she didn't even realize Oscar was over and standing behind them. 

"Can I stay here tonight?" 

"Come inside you look… not gonna lie, kinda terrible." Nora sniffled and let out a laugh that had absolutely zero merth to it. 

Oscar had been standing back but stepped forward to hold Nora tight in a hug. 

"Oscar can you go warm up some tea?" He nodded wordlessly and left the two girls to sit almost cuddled together on the couch. 

"Where's Ren? Is he okay?" 

"He's at home, I left."

"It's okay Nora, all couples get into fights, and you guys are so solid that you'll be back and better in no time!" Nora could tell Ruby was only trying to cheer her up but if anything, made the situation even worse as she started sobbing again. 

"No Ruby! We are not okay and we are not the great happily ever after couple you make us out to be otherwise I wouldn't be here sitting on your couch." 

"What happened?" Ruby wasn't all reassuring smiles anymore. 

"He doesn't even love me!" She sobbed into her palms. 

"Of course he does what makes you say that??!" Ruby softly stroked Nora's hair. 

"No I'm just something to occupy his time, oh also can I use your shower? I'm pretty sure that's his cum dripping down my legs." Ruby was speechless by her obscenities.

"He didn't- hurt you did he?" 

"Does emotionally count?." A sound came from the kitchen behind them. Ruby turned to see Oscar with the tea tray walking towards them but she quickly and silently waved him away hoping her face displayed to him how not good the timing was. 

"Okay well then let's get you in the shower and I'll find you some clothes."

After getting Nora situated in the shower, she and Oscar met up in the living room and whispered to each other. 

"Sooo, what exactly happened?" 

"I have no idea. It makes no sense, those two never fight. What about you, you're close to both of them, has anything seemed off?" Oscar shrugged totally clueless. 

"Not that I've seen??" 

"They've been together for longer than I've even known them, I always thought they'd just get married and live their fairy tale ending." Oscar thought about what Ruby said.

“She said that Ren doesn’t love her?” Ruby nodded vigorously. “Well you said they’ve been together a long time, and you expected them to just get married,” another nod followed. “But after all this time, they haven’t gotten married yet.” Ruby sat back and pondered his words. 

She frowned deeply even thinking of the possibility of Ren and Nora no longer being Ren and Nora. After that, they sat without saying anything else waiting for Nora to finish in the shower.

...

"Thanks Ruby I feel so much better now." Nora still had a furrowed brow but her eyes were starting to clear up and she was in Ruby's PJs. 

"I think I'll leave you girls to talk it out. Text me in the morning so I know you're okay, Nora." Nora nodded meekly which was odd considering she was always the pillar of support for Oscar. 

Oscar kissed Ruby, "Love you, Lady Bug." And he kissed Nora on the forehead before grabbing his things and leaving with one more worried glance to Ruby. He knew he wasn't going home. He needed to check on Ren to make sure nothing was really wrong. He just hoped that Ruby would be able to get to the bottom of things. 

“Must be nice to hear those words on a daily basis.” Nora mumbled so low it almost escaped Ruby’s ears. 

...

"So he yelled at you for not getting groceries?" Nora nodded. "And then you two rolled in the sheets," Nora nodded again. "And then he ignored your demand for apologies?" Nora nodded one last time to confirm. "Well that seems like something that with talking and understanding can be resolved pretty easily." Nora shook her head. It seemed her childish side was making an appearance. 

"It's not like that. I don't fucking care about any of that. He doesn't love me because he has never once told me he loves me. I don't even know if I'm his girlfriend to be honest. Seven years of an adult relationship and there's never been a single conversation about getting married or planning any sort of future together. He could be keeping me around to entertain himself. Holy shit,” Nora said as if facing a grand realization “Thank God I never had kids with that man." 

“Nora, you don’t actually mean that though, do you?” Nora didn’t answer her question, instead she sat in silence 

"So what do you plan to do? Leave him?" Nora doesn't respond to that either. Or at least for a few minutes. 

"I don't even know if I'd be able to. I don't remember a me where there wasn't also him. And I love him but it hurts not feeling that love reciprocated." Ruby had nothing to really say. 

"Hearing everyone talking about how perfect we were, just chips away at a larger crack. It made me feel more and more insecure, which is what led me here!" 

"Did you want to call him and tell him that? I'll support whichever decision you make." Nora visibly gulped. 

"Yes but not right now. I want you to tell him that I'm taking a step back, I can't." Ruby agreded hesitantly. 

They held hands while Ruby dialed placing it on speaker. 

"Do you need me to come get her?" Ren asked as soon as she picked up. What an odd way to answer the phone, Ruby thought. 

"No, she's fine here with me for the night." 

"Okay, just remind her for me that we need to pay off the credit card tomorrow." Ruby struggled to listen when she saw Nora crying with her hand covering her mouth to not make a sound. 

"Ren, I need you to know, this is a lot more serious than you seem to think it is. Nora isn't okay right now. She just needs a step back. In fact, she'll be staying here for the rest of the week, and from there we will see how things go." 

"I see." He says. "...Does she need me to bring her anything? I don't think she really packed anything." Ruby lets out a single breath. This was something she could work with. 

"Um yeah, I'll send Oscar down there to pick it up tomorrow. I'll text you in the morning." 

"Goodnight," Ren hung up and Ruby placed a comforting hand on Nora's shoulder. 

"You'll really let me stay this week?" Nora asked, her red eyes looking up to Ruby like a doe. 

"Yes, you can stay here. However long you need. Move in right now if you want." Nora clutches onto Ruby's arm so tight, she might be losing circulation. 

"You see what I mean, Ruby? No sign of regret or any kind of remorse. It's like I have no impact on his life at all. That's all I get 24/7! Nora, pay the light bill. Nora, do the grocery shopping. Nora, I'll string you along for half of your life and then never commit to an official life with you, and then all our friends are convinced we are the epitome of happiness and perfection when really you're constantly dying inside and it doesn't bother me in the slightest." Ruby recognized her mental breakdown and tried to calm her down to no avail. 

"I think it's time you lay down. Nothing will get solved tonight. He'll realize how wrong he is." She took Nora to her room and laid her down in her own bed, and then laid down next to her. There was plenty of room on the bed for both of them, but Nora stayed close to Ruby. 

"I'm sorry, Nora. For making this worse with all my comments and assumptions, but I know how strong you are, and a simple man is not going to tear you down." Ruby's words were motivational as always. That's why Nora chose to run away to her house instead of Blake and Yang's or Jaune and Pyrrha's. Jaune and Pyrrha's house would actually be the worst place to be right then, except for her own. Their type of comfort and motivation is the kind that requires talking things through and facing the problem head on. Nora didn't need to talk to Ren head on, she needed to not see him for one fucking day. 

Acts of Service

The morning had a big difference in Nora's mood. She wasn’t angry anymore, but she felt low. She missed Ren. Perhaps she was too hard on him. She definitely could have done something other than run out. Maybe she should have talked to him about it more. 

She would have had a better sleep if she wasn’t up worrying about Ren for half the night. She didn’t believe for a second he was completely unaffected by her departure. The front door opened, casting a violent ray of light on her newly awakened eyes. She looked up squinting to see who it was. 

“Nora, I brought your stuff.” Oscar carried her backpack over to her place on the couch. 

“Thanks Oscar. How was- Did everything go alright?” 

“Yeah everything went smoothly, but that’s not really what you’re asking.” She looked down feeling like a scolded child. “Ren seemed oddly fine. I got there and grabbed your bag and left.” He explained as she started to go through her packed items. 

The first thing she saw was her toiletry bag. It held her soaps and lotions but she also saw something that made her skeptical. 

“Did you pack my entire skin care routine?” One thing that wasn’t widely known about her by her friends was that she had a very strict and rigorous skin care routine. Even though she never had any major issues with her skin, she was obsessed with keeping it clean and healthy. In fact she already felt a little dirty since she wasn’t able to do her routine the night before as she left so suddenly. 

She didn’t remember telling Oscar about it which was why she was so confused about seeing it all, every product she needed inside her bag. 

“Oh I didn’t actually pack anything. I got to your house and everything was already packed. I just took it and left.” Ren had packed it, which was why she had all her products. Ruby had told him last night that Nora was staying for the rest of the week, and he knew enough to pack all her essentials, even down to her skin care routine. 

“Did you say anything to him?”

“Not that much, because like I said he didn’t seem like he was upset. He gave me your bag, and I told him that you just needed time to yourself. Then I left.” 

“Okay. Well thanks for picking this up for me. I really do just need a little time.” Oscar rubbed her back soothingly and gave her a side hug. 

“I don’t like seeing you two fight. You’re both people I really rely on for support, but if you really think you’re unhappy, I’ll support you as well, no matter what you decide.” Nora really didn’t want to cry again, but just knowing she had people on her side was enough to make her tear up. 

Oscar left to give her time to go through her things. She thought she was done crying, but the more she went through her bag, the more the tears would fall. After her soaps was even her box of tampons, because now that she thought of it, her period would be starting tomorrow, and Ren knew enough to pack them. Her favorite sweater was packed along with the pajamas she always wore. Her work things and her pink headphones were all packed as well. 

No matter what she thought about Ren, it was clear he knew her better than anyone else, and as much as she didn’t want to believe it in the moment, she knew him better than anyone as well. She couldn’t deny the fact that even though Ren gave off the appearance of being okay, inside he was probably really hurt. If not from the fight, then from the fact that they were separated when they were always together. 

The rest of the day was long and tiring. Nora had a full schedule of training sessions with her clients at the gym, and even though it was a strenuous shift, she only thought about Ren five times during the day and three of those times were on her lunch break. So all in all, she counted the day as a win. Going back to Ruby's couch after work was not something to look forward to. She wanted to pass out in her own bed and sleep for 12 hours straight, but when she got to Ruby's house after work she saw that wouldn't be possible. Ruby and Oscar were sitting together on the couch, Ruby sitting with her laptop nestled in her lap and Oscar leaning on her a little below her shoulder. A movie was playing in the background and by the looks of it, going ignored. 

"It says my love language is Physical Touch! I guess that makes sense, although I still think I value quality time more." Nora heard Ruby say as she entered the room. It must have been another one of those BuzzFeed quizzes Ruby loved so much. 

"I guess that's why we're so compatible with each other." Oscar said blinking up at Ruby in a sickeningly sweet fashion. 

"Nora take this test with me, it's got like this science to it that analyzes what your love languages are." Ruby turned her laptop around for Nora to see for emphasis. 

"What's a love language?" Nora asked with a yawn.

"It's like what's most important to you as a way of showing or giving love to people. There's five different types. Come look!" She didn't really have a choice since they were sitting on her sleeping arrangements for the night. 

"The first one is Quality Time, then Acts of Service, Physical Touch, Words of Affirmation, and the last is giving gifts!" Ruby of course was enthusiastic about it. Nora just took the laptop and started answering the questions. 

It is more meaningful to me when…  
My partner puts their arm around me in public  
Or  
When they surprise me with gifts 

Nora easily selected the first option, thinking about how nice it would be if Ren put his arm around her while out. 

It is more meaningful to me when…  
I'm around my partner, even if we are not doing anything  
Or  
When my partner holds my hand

Nora had to think about that one for a full minute. She thrived off of time with Ren, and even though she absolutely loves holding hands with him, she would choose being around Ren more over holding hands with him a few times and never being around him the rest of the time.

It is more meaningful to me when…  
My partner says, "I love you."  
Or  
My partner gives me a gift 

Nora felt a tear slip from her eye as she answered the question. She heard Ruby move beside her and felt a hand on her shoulder. 

"Oh Nora, it's just a test you don't need to do it if it only hurts you." Oscar awkwardly looked from Ruby to Nora. He didn't know how to comfort her but also didn't think it appropriate to leave at the moment so he was stuck watching Nora cry as she finished the test. 

"No! I want to finish the test. I have to." She sniffled. It doesn't take much longer for her to get the results. 

Words of Affirmation: 33%  
Quality Time: 27%  
Physical Touch: 23%  
Acts of Service: 17%  
Gift Giving/Receiving: 0% 

"Ruby what does this mean?" She said sniffly looking back to Ruby with wide teary eyes. 

Ruby stretched her neck around Nora to see the screen. 

"Well it's pretty straightforward. Your most prominent love language is words of affirmation, which means you like being told that you're doing good and that you're loved the most. Quality time is just spending time with your loved one. Physical touch is next on the list of importance of expressing love and then acts of Service. That means just doing menial tasks or chores is how you show someone you love them. It seems like giving gifts has no effect or importance in your views of love." 

"Isn't it kind of shallow to love getting love by giving gifts?" Nora's head was spinning with the new information. She wanted to go see Ren and make him take the test too so she could see what his love languages are.

"No because they don't have to be extravagant gifts. For example, Oscar's second highest love language is gift giving. He'll buy me small things like my favorite food or socks to show he's thinking about me and love me that way. Sometimes the language you perceive as liking the most when receiving can also be different from how you show love as well, since Oscar doesn't count it as most important when I buy him gifts back." 

"That's pretty significant, then." Nora said. She realllly wanted to take the test with Ren. It might just explain a few things. 

Just then, Nora realized she almost forgot about the credit card bill. She left Ruby and Oscar on the couch and went off to the bathroom to prepare her shower. She took her phone with her and logged into her bank. 

Outstanding balance: 0$ 

It was gone? She panicked for a full ten seconds before clicking on the past payments tab. The last payment was for that same day at 3:14pm. Ren had payed the bill already. It was her job to pay off the credit card but Ren did it for her. She felt herself tear up all over again but for a completely different reason. 

As she took her shower she couldn't stop crying. She treated Ren a little too harshly. Yes, he was rude too but Nora took it out of proportions. She was the one that wasn't communicating her feelings properly, and she was the one to jump Ren in bed and then acuse him of using her for sex. That was probably the worst thing she's ever done. The guilt was starting to build up and by the time she left the shower, she'd made up her mind. 

"Ruby, thank you for letting me stay here but I'm going home now." Ruby and Oscar looked up from the couch with curious expressions. 

"Are you sure you're ready to go home?" 

"Yeah I need to go apologize. I said some pretty awful things to Ren, and I miss him. No offense Ruby, but sleeping next to Ren is a hundred times better than next to you." 

"None taken." Ruby said brightly. "But seriously Nora, you can stay here when you need to, and I talked about it with Oscar and you were right. We were kind of putting unrealistic expectations on you and Ren. You guys are a normal couple just like us." Nora appreciated the sentiment more than she could say. 

"Give me a hug before I cry." Ruby and Oscar didn't wait another second before pulling Nora into a big group hug. Nora kissed both of them on the cheek before backing off and collecting her things. 

She still had the car so she was able to just drive home. Thinking about it, she wondered how Ren was able to get to work in the morning. Normally he dropped her off in the morning before going to work himself and she either got a ride home or took the bus. Maybe Jaune drove him? 

When she got to her street she passed her house and took an extra loop around the block. As much as she wanted to see Ren she also didn't know how to explain in words how she was sorry for what she said about him. She would go inside and apologize immediately and then offer to make dinner. Even though it was closer to 8pm she would still make something. Food always calmed her down. 

Hopefully after her efforts, Ren would forgive her and they would sit and have a serious talk. 

Quality Time Pt. 2

She took her time pulling into the driveway and walking to the front door. Her heart was quite honestly racing out of her chest. She unlocked the door and went inside looking around for Ren but not seeing him in the front room. He normally worked in their office (which was more like a supply closet than anything) at night. 

Walking down the hallway she kept trying to listen for movement but she heard nothing. The office door was left open and the lights off. She only had the bedroom left to check. 

When she opened the door to their room she saw Ren sitting up in bed with a book in his lap. He looked up and when they made eye contact, Nora couldn't help her mouth running off. 

"You heard me come inside and didn't bother to check if someone was breaking in?" She asked flat out. 

"I figured if someone was breaking in they wouldn't disable and reenable the security alarm." She thought for a second at his response. Ren was always so practical. 

She dropped her bag by the door and went to sit on the edge of the bed. She sat there awkwardly. Everything she wanted to say left her brain for a whole minute. 

"Ren what do you see me as?" Nora said breaking the silence between them. 

"What do you mean?" Ren responded. She thought he was just playing with her at that point. 

"I mean what do you see myself as to you? Am I your childhood friend? Your girlfriend? You're really good friend with benefits?" 

"What kind of question is that? You're my person." 

"Your person? I still don't know what that means. I'm confused and hurt because I don't know how you see us, and that causes me to lash out and say things that I'm really not proud of." He stared at her not really saying anything. His books still laid in his lap. 

"Because I love you more than anything and it just doesn't seem like you return the feelings sometimes." She felt the first tears drop. She dropped her head in her hands. If she stopped looking at Ren for a minute the tears would stop. 

"I just don't understand." She looked up only when she heard his always steady voice wobble. 

"I need some kind of reassurance that you love me." She said with a slightly raised and exasperated voice. Ren crawled over his forgotten book, over to sit in front of Nora. 

"I love you." Nora was shocked to realize he looked her directly in the eyes as the words fell off the edges of his lips. 

"I think we both fall a little short in communicating at times." Nora admitted. "And I'm sorry if it seems like I'm asking a lot of you but I need this." She looked around the room, anywhere but at Ren. She felt as he took one of her hands in both of his and just held her patiently, waiting for her to continue, because he could tell she needed to.

It stung realizing that he had fallen short. As a lover but also as a friend. Nora started to sense the cracks in his demeanor. She switched her approach. 

"Do you want to take a test with me?" Nora asked, breaking the silence between them. Ren didn't say anything, instead waited for her to elaborate. He had no idea what she was talking about but he couldn't help it as his pulse started to beat a little bit faster. 

"It's something Ruby showed me. As soon as I took it, I wanted to come home immediately and take it with you." She released her hand from his hold so she could get up to retrieve her bag from the door. She took out her laptop and sat on the floor. Her back rested against the foot of the bed. Ren scooted down to the floor to see what she was up to. 

"It's about this theory on the five types of ways that people give and show love." She pulled up the tab and passed it over to him. 

"Only five?" 

"Just take it and then you'll understand." She said as she squeezed in close to him lying her head on his shoulder. 

Is it more meaningful when you and your partner… 

My partner helps me out when they know I'm tired  
Or  
I get to go somewhere while spending time with my partner

Nora made no comment and watched Ren filter through the questions. 

"It's done" She looked down at the results and wasn't surprised by what she saw. 

Acts of Service 40%  
Quality Time 30%  
Physical Touch 17%  
Words of Affirmation 13%  
Gift Giving 0%

"What is all this supposed to mean?" Ren asked, looking over to Nora. She pulled out her phone and let him have a look. 

"Compare it to my results," she already knew them by heart but Ren studied them for a long minute. 

Words of Affirmation: 33%  
Quality Time: 27%  
Physical Touch: 23%  
Acts of Service: 17%  
Gift Giving/Receiving: 0%

He didn't say anything so Nora explained for him.  
"Look how high words of affirmation is on my list versus yours. It's my main love language but your second to last. I use words as my main way to accept love. You use acts of Service as your main way to accept that I love you and I didn't realize it until now." Understanding started to decorate like a warm blush across his face. 

"We don't talk about it very much." Nora nodded. 

"We didn't talk about it at all until now, and it was weighing heavier and heavier on me until I exploded." Ren takes her hand again. "You take care of me, Ren. You're considerate in ways I took for granted when that's how you love me." They both took a moment to bask in the emotion that lingered in the air. Nora's shoulders were slumped in a shameful resignation. 

Ren put one hand on her shoulders and then another. His arms circled around her and he pulled her into a tight embrace. 

"I forgive you. I wasn't being the best to you either though and for that I apologise. I always assumed you'd be by my side so-" Ren pulled apart from Nora. He swallowed before continuing. "I see why that could feel as if I was uninvolved at times," In a rare show of he shrinks in on himself. He struggled to speak as his throat got tighter and tighter. "I'm sorry, I'm not very good at words." Nora started to console him. "But that's really no excuse. If you need verbal affirmation then you'll get it. I might not be so quick to catch on at first but I promise I'll try and consider your feelings more." 

"Ren that's- that's the most romantic thing you've ever said to me." A few tears slipped down Nora's cheeks. 

"I'm a pretty shitty boyfriend then if it is." Ren huffed a laugh devoid of actual amusement. 

"I'm a pretty shitty girlfriend for not communicating better." Ren reached out to her and took her hand. 

"But you're my girlfriend, for now." Nora looked up alarmed, and dropped the soft look of content in an instant. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" She waited for him to answer instead of sparking off. 

"Our 11 year anniversary is coming up. It might be time to upgrade the title of girlfriend." 

"Bitch, no fucking way." Nora's hands clasped over her mouth, and her eyes widened. 

"There's no rush, we still have a few ifs and ands to work out before that point but I quite like the idea of staying with you forever." Nora tackled Ren down onto the bed until she hovered over him. She peppered his face with kisses in her glee. 

"I love you." She whispered to him. He responded by nuzzling his face into her cheek. It wasn't a direct tell, but she knew that for him, it meant the same. 

….

"So you guys are engaged?" Oscar asked the following week. Ruby and Oscar visited their house for lunch and demanded to know the outcome of the big fight. 

"Not really, but basically." Nora supplied. Ruby and Oscar spared each other a confused glance before Nora explained. "We will get engaged eventually but for now, we're just vibin'." Nora smiled brightly. 

"That sounds amazing, Nora. I'm really happy you guys are feeling better." 

"Yeah me too," Nora breathed softly. The three of them turned their heads when they heard the front door open.

Ren paused immediately as it closed, not seeing them on the couch yet. He opened the front door again not bothering to step out, and closed it just as quickly. He finally looked up and zeroed in on Nora. 

"Did you get the door fixed?" Nora looked off into the air nonchalantly. 

"Oh yeah, I had it fixed earlier. I totally forgot about that to be honest. Now we won't get noise complaints for slamming doors anymore." Nora examined her finger nails still not looking at Ren but she couldn't help a playful smile from breaking out on her face. 

"Thank you, Nora. That makes me really happy." Ren went directly to Nora who wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him. 

"No problem, baby. Anything for you." The couple shared a moment before kissing lightly. 

"That's our que to leave. Come on, Oscar I need to get back to work soon." Oscar stood and gathered their things, clearing the table of trash and mugs as best he could. 

Ren and Nora separated once Oscar was in the kitchen. 

Ruby eyed Nora with something like smugness, she leaned back against the couch with her arms crossed. Ruby seemed to ask something with her eyes. 

"Okay you can say it this time." Nora provided.

"You guys are so adorable it's almost unbelievable." Oscar came out right on time and collected Ruby, and directed her to the door. 

"We'll see you guys this weekend. I'm glad you guys are feeling better!" Ren nodded with the slightest of smiles and separated from Nora to see his friends out. Once the front door was closed, he was able to go back to Nora and resumed showering her with sensual kisses. 

"I got my boss to let me leave early. I kept thinking of your thighs around my face and just had to rush home." She didn't pause to blush, too busy thinking of Ren following through with his plan. 

"You know exactly what to say to get me going, don't you?" An almost moan escaped her. 

"I know everything about you. You're my person." Arms slid around to focus on her waist, his hands rested on the very top of her ass. 

"You know, I still don't know what that means." She teased. She felt little whirls being traced into hey skin. 

"It means out of everyone in the world, I love you the most." 

"Well then I guess that means you're my person too." He seemed like he was gonna vocalize something else but she stopped him with her lips. 

"No more words." She pulled away quickly and guided him to the bedroom so quickly she nearly dragged him. "Now, give truth to your promise. Explain exactly how you imagined my thighs."

**Author's Note:**

> I've been sitting on this one for a loooong time. Like months. I love what it became but for weeks I was unsatisfied with their reconciliation. 
> 
> N E Ways the love language theory is an actual like philosophy and you can take the quiz for real here: 
> 
> https://www.5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/
> 
> Don't know when I'll be able to post more fics because I've been in a pretty big Renora block lately. I'm open to recommendations though so leave comments on what you'd like to see!


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